


made of roses & hello (of solongs and ashes)

by blackkat



Series: ShunStarrk Drabbles [4]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Fix-It of Sorts, Friendship, Hopeful Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Post-Canon, Recovery, mentioned canon character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 11:52:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18468391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackkat/pseuds/blackkat
Summary: The sight of a former enemy walking through the doorway of the first division a month after Yhwach’s defeat shouldn’t make something in Shunsui’s chest go twisty and soft, but it does.





	made of roses & hello (of solongs and ashes)

The sight of a former enemy walking through the doorway of the first division a month after Yhwach’s defeat shouldn’t make something in Shunsui’s chest go twisty and soft, but it does.

Starrk no longer wears the white and black of Aizen’s army, but a simple blue yukata, and Lilynette, in his arms, is wrapped in pale pink. She’s asleep, still in a way that strikes Shunsui as wrong despite having only known her for a few minutes in the middle of a fight, and Starrk looks exhausted as he cradles her to his chest. For a long moment, he stares at Shunsui, and Shunsui looks back, befuddled by this sudden change of circumstances that’s so far from how things have been the last few weeks. It takes effort to fit his mind around Starrk's presence, and it’s only very belatedly that Shunsui realizes this man used to be his enemy and pushes up from his desk, dropping a hand to his sword.

“There's a hole in your wall,” Starrk says at length.

Shunsui looks from Starrk to the wall, and…calling it a hole is generous, honestly. The majority of the western wall is simply missing, and Shunsui hasn’t considered it important enough to delegate to repair crews just yet.

“In the gate, too,” Shunsui says after a moment, amused. “Though if you're here I assume you found it.”

“I didn’t see guards,” Starrk says, not quite defensively, though it’s close. He shifts Lilynette, hitching her higher, and looks away. “You had trouble, then.”

It’s not a question, but Shunsui still nods, taking two careful steps around the desk to stand in front of Starrk. He isn't armed, but he’s a Hollow; he doesn’t need a sword to be dangerous.

Though…there's no sense of aggression from him, no threat. Shunsui studies him, and all he sees is a man, weary and worn and desperate.

“And you managed to survive,” he says lightly. “I’ll admit, Primera, I didn’t expect that.”

“It’s just Starrk,” Starrk says quietly, meeting his eyes. “I slipped into the Rukongai after the fight. Lilynette was there, so I had to.”

Shunsui doesn’t ask how he knew that; Lilynette is a piece of him, and Starrk would have been able to find her for that reason alone. “And then you decided to come here?” he asks, raising a brow. “To the headquarters of the Shinigami?”

Starrk's smile is thin. “I'm powerful,” he says. “If I put myself up as collateral, I assumed I could convince that scientist of yours to agree to a bargain.”

That certainly confirms the desperation, Shunsui thinks wryly. One more step forward puts him right in front of Starrk, and he meets his eyes over Lilynette’s head, takes in the frozen determination there, and lets out a slow breath. “A bargain for what, exactly?” he asks.

For just a moment, Starrk is _small_. Bent, curled in on himself, clutching Lilynette close like he’s in the grip of terror or grief, and he says hoarsely, “Please. She won't wake up, and I can't fix her. I've been—so alone, even though she’s here, and I can't—”

 _Oh_ , Shunsui thinks, and has to close his eyes against the memory of a fresh grave, the empty space beside him that’s been occupied for a thousand years without fail. That twist in his chest is back, sharper, warmer, and he reaches out, slowly enough that Starrk won't take it as an attack. Curls his fingers over Starrk's shoulder, gripping gently, and says, “You don’t need to trade yourself to Mayuri. Wait here, and I’ll send a runner for Isane right away.”

A breath shudders out of Starrk's lungs, and he raises his head to stare at Shunsui, wolf-blue eyes wary but intent. “Why?” he asks.

Shunsui gives him a crooked smile. “No one should have to be alone,” he says. “And besides, I don’t think you're about to break Aizen out of his high-security prison and abscond with him. Two Espada helped stop the Quincy. I think there's room for a third in our expanding perspective on the races.”

Starrk laughs, ragged but amused. “If you wake Lilynette up, she can attest,” he says. “I'm far too lazy to stage a jailbreak.”

“Until she can put in a good word for you, I’ll allow it on confidence,” Shunsui says easily, squeezes Starrk's shoulder, and steps back. “I’ll call for the medics,” he says more gently. “The Fourth has been rebuilt, and the new captain is one of the cleverest ladies in the Seireitei. Lilynette will be fine.”

“Thank you,” Starrk says, then pauses. Smiles, a touch wry, and offers, “I brought you sake. I figured we could drink it between your scientist’s experiments, but…in the open air would be even better.”

Shunsui chuckles. “Medics, then sake on the roof,” he proposes. “While we wait for Isane to help her. It will be nice to drink with a friend again.”

Starrk looks at him for a long moment, and doesn’t ask where Jūshirō is. Though, Shunsui supposes, he of all people in existence understands loneliness and the solace of finding companionship. “That sounds good,” he says, and when Shunsui drapes an arm over his shoulders to steer him out of the room, he leans into the touch.


End file.
